NBA free agency will begin on June 30, and when it does, Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet will be one of the best players available. The 29-year-old one-time All-Star entered the league as an undrafted player out of Wichita State back in 2016 but has since developed into one of the best players at his position.
But after seven seasons, including an NBA championship win, VanVleet could be moving on from Toronto, who not only missed the playoffs last season but also have since changed coaches from Nick Nurse to Darko Rajakovic.
There are several point guard needy teams, including the Raptors, who could be attracted by VanVleet’s skillset this summer. Contract projections for the 6-foot-1 guard are already being revealed.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, VanVleet could be set to command $30 million per season in free agency this offseason. It would be the largest salary for a single season in VanVleet’s career thus far.
But the market is always rising, especially when a star enters free agency, where he gets to pit one offer against another, driving up his price. Having already won a championship, it’s tough to say what VanVleet will prioritize once he’s on the open market.
It’s possible he’ll seek the biggest payday possible, or maybe he’ll try and play closer to Illinois, where he grew up, with the Bulls being another team needing a lead guard. One factor that is clear is that VanVleet will have several options later this summer, and chances are, he’ll be looking at a big raise over his $21 million salary from this past season.
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